Sometimes the fans are right, too. Like ladders. I did not want ladders in Minecraft at all. Ladders are never fun. They’re not fun in Minecraft either. But they’re a very good utility. It’s an easy way to get straight up without having stairs going back and forth. So I added them anyway because the fans convinced me.

Ladders occur naturally in library rooms of strongholds and in intersection rooms with a wooden ceiling. Ladders can also be found in villages; specifically, in churches and houses with roofs which have fence railings. They may also be found in igloos, leading to the basement, end ships on the pillar leading up to the crows nest and woodland mansions.

Ladders provide a way to safely cushion a player's impact after a free fall. Upon entering a ladder's area of effect, the player's speed is reduced instantly to normal ladder descent speed and no damage is taken. Care must be taken to avoid landing on the narrow top surface of the ladder, as this will incur falling damage as normal.

Holding the sneak key while climbing a ladder will grab hold of the ladder, to prevent you from falling off. When the player is holding on to a ladder, the rate which blocks are mined decreases. [Java and Bedrock editions only]

Any mob can climb a ladder in the same way a player does: by pushing against it. Mobs are not smart enough to deliberately use ladders — they won't stay on a ladder to get somewhere, but a ladder directly in their straight-line path (or if they turn in the process) will let them climb up.

Like torches, a ladder occupies one block from the side on which it is placed and cannot be placed on glass, leaves, ice, slabs, glowstone, or sea lanterns. Unlike torches, however, they resist water and will create an air pocket. They also resist lava, and can be used instead of glass to let lava light shine through a ceiling. If the player places a ladder in lava or water just on the ground not near a wall, the air pocket will be present but invisible.

A ladder takes effect whenever the player's lower half is in the block occupied by a ladder. These effects are:

If the player pushes against a wall, the player moves upward at about 5/2 meters per second instead of horizontally. (Thus inside a 1×1 ladder shaft, the player can use any movement key to move upward.)

If the player is moving perpendicular to the ladder block and enters the ladder block, the player will begin to move upwards, but will most likely fall off the ladder shortly after, because the player will continue to move horizontally.

The player's maximum downward speed is reduced to a “descending ladder” speed.

The player's horizontal movement friction is the same as on ice. (That is, moving around in the tiny space the player is in while still hanging on the ladder at the same level.)

It is possible to use ladders one block apart in a corner by placing every other ladder on the other side of the corner. This method is a bit hard to use, as you will need to jump and shift sides constantly.

By holding the jump key, players can still use water ladders that have ladders placed every other block.

If you stop yourself on a ladder and place a sign, you will still stay in midair without having to hold Shift since the game is paused in singleplayer. This does not work in multiplayer since the game is not paused.

Attempting to place a ladder on a spot another ladder occupies may instead place the ladder somewhere near by (because of the ladder's hitbox).

It is possible to remove a ladder while standing on a ladder and holding the sneak key, but it can take a long time because the countdown for breaking the ladder often resets.

Block mining speed is considerably reduced if you are in a ladder. [Java and Bedrock editions only]

Unlike walking, sprinting, and swimming, consuming food, blocking with a shield, and pulling back a bow do not slow you down while climbing ladders.

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